In recent years, Russia has speeded up its pace in North Polar studies and development. In July 2007, Russian scientists in a submarine went more than 4.000 m deep to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, leaving behind a Russian flag and a time capsule to declare sovereign rights.

In February 2013, the outline of a strategic plan for developing the North Pole and which was signed by Putin [included] the development of the North Pole's continental shelf as its focal point. At present, Russia's No.1 item, the development of natural resources on the North Pole's continental shelf, [should have been] officially completed by the end of last year. [As to] the 72 million tons reserve of the Prirazlomnaya oil field, a yearly output of 6.6 million tons could be reached.

Editor's Note: The article uses a Chinese adaptation for the Russian name of the industrial oil platform Prirazlomnaya (普里拉兹洛姆内伊). The platform is being considered the first Arctic-class ice-resistant oil rig in the world.

Furthermore, Russia's future military plannings include the building of 13 airfields and 10 technical radar stations in Russia's North Polar territory in order to ensure Russia's "military safety in that region".

The Arctic was once of interest only to polar scientists and adventurers, but this is rapidly changing as a warmer climate is making the region increasingly accessible for resource extraction. Some studies estimate that the region contains close to a quarter of global unexplored petroleum resources, as well as substantial mineral reserves, including massive deposits of crucial rare earth metals in Greenland. Most of the region is already carved up, with the exception of the area around the North Pole itself.

The region is already important for the petroleum industry. In 2010, 10% of global oil production and 22% of natural gas production came from here. Russia is predicted to have the largest unexplored reserves (41% of total arctic oil resources and 70% of total natural gas resources), ahead of Alaska (28% of oil and 14% of gas) and Greenland (18% of oil and 8% of gas), leaving smaller but still significant deposits in Canada and Norway. Importantly, most undiscovered resources are presumed to be offshore, necessitating huge investments for exploration, drilling and infrastructure to make the projects commercially viable.

The Americans [advanced plannings concerning how] to deal with the Syrian affair, and sources in the Syrian opposition confirmed a plan of the U.S. central command for the region to establish a particularly military infrastructure for the Syrian opposition. The [regional command] wants the creation of a new "military meeting" including the armed force of the Syrian opposition. And there will be exercises in the frame of that meeting regarding instruction and arming.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on October 26, 2014]

U.S. military is obviously targeting the Free Syrian Army to become a partner in their "military meeting" which would make it easier to find support from Turkey. On the other hand, U.S. support for the Kurdish army in Syria is seen with an uneasy eye by Ankara in the frame of Turkey's own interests regarding all regional Kurdish communities.

كوباني.. الأكراد ينفون موافقتهم على دخول الجيش الحر

Only two days before, on October 24, Al-Arabiya reported that Kurds in Syria had refused their consent to the Free Syrian Army entering Kobane after an opposing declaration made by Turkish president Erdogan and regarding the transit of 1300 troops to the besieged town. The Kurdish Alliance for Democracy in Syria was quoted as saying that a second front against ISIS would make no sense.

UPDATE on October 27 / 29:

On October 27 another ISIS attack should have been beaten back in the northern part of Kobane. Kurdish forces are now waiting for reinforcement by Iraqui Peshmerga units, already on their way to Kobane and armed with modern U.S. weaponry.

[Source: IRIB Radio - Voice of Iran on October 27, 2014]

That news has been partly confirmed by ChinaNews Network 中国新闻网 on October 29. The Chinese source is quoted as saying that 150 Kurdish fighters from Iraq are expected to help their Syrian brethren fighting ISIS in Kobane.

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U.S. visitor to "blueprint news" who is interested in 2014 Nobel laureates.

Visitor from Brasil, interested as well in 2014 Nobel laureates, but whose
internet access point is located in a neighbouring slum of Rio De Janeiro,
which makes up for an unusual opportunity to show that Rio is more than
the famous beach of Copacabana where girls from Ipanema go walking.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Boko Haram, Islamist organization in Northern Nigeria, should have agreed to a ceasefire with government troops and should be ready to return 219 Nigerian
girl students they had abducted already months ago. Such information was independently released by Nigeria's government and military, however, confirmation
by Boko Haram is still missing. That agreement should have been reached with the participation of the neighbouring Republic of Chad.

According to a French expert, some political deal of the kind is considered as realistic because the Nigerian girls could be exchanged against Boko Haram fighters including their commanders that have fallen into the hands of government troops. It was mentioned that a similar deal had already been reached between Boko Haram and the government of Cameroon where some abducted member of parliament and his wife were released following direct negotiations.

Furthermore, it was indicated that Boko Haram might soon confirm the agreement in the frame of a video which seems to be their major form of communication with the outside.

[Source: France Info on October 17, 2014]

Additional information on similar abductions by Boko Haram is provided by sources in Cameroon:
17 Cameroonians and 10 Chinese hostages were delivered to Cameroonian authorities after their release by Boko Haram. The government of Cameroon has not said how they were freed, but a security source told AFP that "a ransom" was paid and around 20 imprisoned Islamists were freed in exchange.
The Chinese were seized in May from a construction camp in Waza, near the border with Nigeria in an attack that left one Cameroonian soldier dead. The Cameroonians, including the wife of one of Cameroon's deputy prime ministers, were abducted in July during two simultaneous assaults, also blamed on Boko Haram, in which at least 15 people died.

[Source: allAfrica on October 14, 2014]

Suspected militant Islamists have shot and slaughtered people in three villages in north-east Nigeria, despite government claims that it had agreed a truce with them, residents say.

[Source: BBC News on October 20, 2014]

Chad said it believed Nigeria's secret deal with Boko Haram Islamists to free more than 200 kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls would go ahead despite the breakdown of a truce, and revealed that the key to the agreement was a prisoner swap.
.....
Moussa Mahamat Dago, the No. 2 official at Chad's foreign ministry, said it appeared some Boko Haram factions were refusing to abide by the deal, brokered by the Chadian foreign minister with two representatives of the Islamist group and two Nigerian negotiators at meetings in Chad on Sept. 14 and 30.

[Source: Reuters on October 24, 2014]

Boko Haram video mocking the Nigerian campaign
that is intended to get the abducted girls back home.
(May 15, 2014)

View in fullscreen mode and activate English subtitles !
The Boko Haram video is in Arabic and Hausa language,
"Boko Haram" meaning "Western education is forbidden".
Boko Haram is being regarded as an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

The following quotations from the Holy Book of Islam should be compared with violent stances made by Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, in the above video. They might serve as an example for tolerance, Muslims are obliged to practise towards Christians and Jews, and contrast sharply with Abubakar's hostile position. The so-called "Hadith", quoted by Abubakar, are a secondary source of Islam not included in the Qur'an, even so some of these "prophet's talks" are regarded as "holy" or directly perceived from Allah. However, it's not quite clear which of them have been quoted by Abubakar.

44. Indeed, We sent down the Torah [to Moses], in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers [Al-Kafirun].

46. And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel [Evangelium], in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous [Al-Muttaqun / the pious].

48. And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book [this Qur'an] in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth.To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.

...............................

Visitors to "blueprint news" searching
for "Islamic Rebels in Iraq and Syria".

Turkey showed its approval of the United States using its air force bases, particularly Incirlik base, in the frame of an [international] attack directed against ISIS organization. That can be supposed after what has been proclaimed by an American official from the [U.S.] department of defence on Sunday.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on October 13, 2014]

According to BBC, the new Turkish commitment should include the " training of moderate Syrian opposition forces on Turkish bases and territory " (quotation: U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice) and which complies with U.S. President Obama's anti-ISIS strategy announced last month.

Thursday, October 09, 2014

This week the Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics were determined. As usual, the scientific results of both groups of scientists seem rather complicated if appropriately dealt with. However, both fields of scientific research have something in common: They are dealing with light.

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U.S. scientists Eric Betzig (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) and William Moerner (Stanford University) received the Nobel chemistry award together with German laureate Stefan Hell (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry) for improving the imaging techniques that show us microscopic processes in action.

This means nothing else but an improvement of microscopy using visible light for the observation of molecular processes in living cells and which should be impossible in the deathly vacuum needed for the operation of electron microscopes that used to be applied in the static observation of biological cells.

An increase of resolution, necessary for the live observation of biochemical processes, then requires a modification of what scientists call Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED), and which works by directing a pulse of light towards a sample seeded with fluorescent molecules. The pulse agitates these molecules, and then a second pulse of light dims the fluorescent glow everywhere but in a specific minuscule section of the sample. For the first time, this allowed scientists to detect and study parts of cells and strands of DNA wrapped up around each other.

In 2000, Hell used this technique to capture the best image ever of an E. coli bacteria with a light microscope. At the same time, Moerner discovered that by activating the fluorescent molecules using specific wavelengths of light, scientists could use a light microcrope to see individual molecules.

Resolution limitations of traditional optical microscopes lead to blurry images of small cellular components such as mitochondria (level 1). However, if specific proteins are tagged with fluorescent molecules that can be activated one-at-a-time (between levels 1 and 2), the positions of the molecules can be determined at a much finer level. The total position data is then assembled into an image (level 2) at a resolution comparable to an electron microscope (level 4), but with the added benefit of being specific to only the desired target protein. (Image: Eric Betzig, HHMI Janelia Farm Research Campus)

In 2005, Betzig finally led that new technique to another breakthrough explained by the following source:
"Using fluorescent proteins that could be turned on and off at will, he created images of a resolution much higher than the theoretical limit. Weak pulses of light activate the proteins for a very short time, so that pieces of the subject can be illuminated bit by bit. These images are superimposed to form high-resolution images - without killing the cells being observed, or even interrupting their biological processes. The single-molecule microscopy method is now widely used."

"Red and green LEDs have been around for a long time but blue was really missing. Thanks to the blue LED we now can get white light sources which have very high energy efficiency and very long lifetime." Therefore, it only needs to superimpose the light of red, green and blue LEDs. Varying the basic LED intensities can even generate any other colour needed.

While last year’s physics prize was awarded for the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, this year’s prize honours an entirely practical invention that’s been making its way into countless homes around the world since the turn of the century. As 20 percent of the world’s electricity is used for lighting, and because LED lighting is so efficient, that latest Japanese invention has the capacity to reduce electricity used for lighting to just 4 percent.

Structure of a Blue LED

Description of the Blue LED Structure:
The principle for light emission in a p-n junction between two differently doped semiconductor materials is as follows: In a p-n junction biased with a forward voltage, electrons are injected from the n- to the p-side, and holes are injected in the opposite direction. Electrons recombine with holes and light is spontaneously emitted. In the above structure which is characteristic for Blue LED, that process is supported by a double heterojunction between the chemical components Indium-Gallium Nitride InGaN and Aluminium-Gallium Nitride AlGaN. The basic layer of that complicated structure is crystallized Aluminium(III)Oxide (Sapphire).

Kurdish sources in the town of Ayn al-Arab ( "Kobane" in Kurdish language) said that followers of ISIS organization are partially retreating from territories they controlled in the eastern parts of the town after concentrated raids by allied planes targeting positions of the organization.

[Source: Al-Arabiya العربية on October 7, 2014]

According to France Info, evening news on October 7,
ISIS militants should still hold five positions in Ayn al-Arab / Kobane while nearby
Turkish troops are not yet engaged in the fightings.

ـ12 قتيلا في تركيا بمظاهرات داعمة لـ"عين العرب"ـ

12 died in Turkey during demonstrations in support of "Ayn al-Arab" [i.e. Kobane].

[Al-Arabiya Update on October 8, 2014]

The Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that Turkey
neither wants troops of the [Assad] regime near its border nor
would like other terrorist organizations to become active in the
region. [Source: Al-Arabiya video on October 7/8, 2014]

Portrait of Ulysses

A resident of the global village and, as well, a lonely navigator on the internet, providing the information he finds on exotic websites in China, the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
这就是《蓝图》杂志的新闻网站。
《游历子》是在古书画像的一个
希腊人，也是《蓝图》总编辑的
别名。两个人游览了世界的很多
地方，但是新式的《游历子》游
览世界网络的很多网站。